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The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health.
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Anthrax: a hidden threat to wildlife in the tropics

Anthrax, a disease so far not associated with tropical rain forests, is common in the Ivory Coast’s Taï National Park and is posing a serious threat to wild­life there. The bacterium could soon even cause the extinc­tion of local chim­panzee popu­lations. This is revealed in a study by an inter­national team led by RKI researchers which is now being published in Nature („Persistent anthrax as a major driver of wild­life mor­tality in a tropical rain­forest“, Nature, 3.8.2017). The results demon­strate the im­portance of long-term studies of infectious diseases and their effects on wild­life. They help to better protect endangered species. At the same time, infections in great apes are often indicators of diseases that can also affect humans. The work high­lights the One Health approach that sees human and animal health as in­timately connected and stresses the need for considering them jointly.

Date: 03.08.2017

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The Robert Koch Institute is the public health institute in Germany. Around 1,080 people including 450 scientists work here. Learn more about the tasks and projects of the institute’s departments and units.

The Robert Koch Institute is a global health hub. The institute cooperates closely with partner countries and institution from all over the world in order to investigate pathogens, tackle outbreaks, provide reliable diagnostics, train staff and more.

Robert Koch Institute's federal health reporting continuously informs about the health status of people in Germany - in various reports as well as in the Journal of Public Health (available also in English).

The Virus Explorer for diagnostic electron microscopy (DEM) is an offline database by RKI containing images of viruses relevant in infectious diseases of humans. It can be used for diagnostic as well as training and teaching purposes.